Environmental social movements in Macaé (RJ) in a period of predominance of the extractive oil economy: a decolonial view from the perspective of political ecology

Abstract

The city of Macaé (RJ) has been marked by the predominance of the oil economy since the mid-1970s. The article summarized three moments of the development of the oil industry in the region of Norte Fluminense (RJ). We sought to identify the city's environmental movements and the ways they expressed themselves related to each period. The research was done through bibliographic, documentary research and initial informal interviews with key subjects in the local environmental struggle. Environmental movements are related to currents of environmentalism, according to the definitions of Joan Martinez Alier, and discussed from the theoretical field of political ecology under decolonial perspectives. In the sense that both urban and rural movements are identified, the characteristics of the colonial city and the possibilities of good are observed. The research showed that the movements present in the first two regional phases of oil contribute to the formation of conservation units and a municipal environment council and, in the cycle that begins with the exploration of the Pre-Salt, the movements advance in performance for agroecology and class alliances. In this way, these movements contribute to raising the awareness of society and public authorities to environmental problems.